JUDGE’S GREAT GRAB SAVES YANKS:
Judge’s superhero grab saves the day for Yanks
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees’ 6-foot-7, 282-pound Superman soared through the air and saved the game with a sensational diving catch. All that was missing from Aaron Judge’s uniform was the cape.
Judge denied Evan Longoria of extra bases and the Rays from tying the score in the sixth inning when he ranged far into the right-center field gap, laid out, went full extension and put himself into contention for Catch of the Year. He then doubled up Corey Dickerson at first.
After Rickie Weeks Jr. flied out to left for the final out of the frame, Judge’s teammates all congratulated him when he got to the dugout.
The 25-year-old rookie rightfielder had the first Golden Sombrero (four-strikeout game) of his career in the Yankees’ 3-2 victory over the Rays on Sunday afternoon at The Trop. But years from now, his catch is probably all that most baseball fans will remember.
“I thought it was a double for sure,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s an unbelievable play, and he saved the game for us.”
CC Sabathia was more confident in Judge’s ability to get to the ball Longoria ripped off Chad Green to the opposite field.
“I was just telling Chasen Shreve, it’s weird, I know that ball was in the gap when he hit it and Judge started running, but I was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to catch that,’ in my head,” Sabathia said. “It’s weird to think that, but he’s a great player, a good outfielder. He covers a lot of ground. It felt like he had a chance. Obviously it’s one of the best catches of the year so far. It’s a big out for us. Everybody was fired up.”
Statcast claimed the play had a catch probability of 26 percent. To actual human beings, more like 2.6 percent.
“Not off the bat,” Judge replied when asked if he thought he had a chance. “I just took a couple of steps and I got there. I wasn’t doing anything on offense, so I was able to do it on defense and help the team out. I just read it good off the bat and tried my best out there. When I looked up right before I caught it, I saw I might have a chance and dove for it. It kind of came in and out of the lights and the roof. I just kept my eye on it the whole time and tried to see it the whole way.”
Asked to grade the catch, which he saw on replay, Judge replied, “Good catch.”
He’s modest. But seriously, it was the latest wow moment in a rookie season filled with many of them.
Judge has already blasted 15 homers and made several terrific defensive plays. He came into Sunday’s game ranked second among all right fielders in defensive runs saved (six), behind only Jason Heyward (seven).
Sabathia has also been amazed by Judge’s arm.
“I had no idea that he could throw like that,” Sabathia said. “He threw the ball home (last Sunday in Game 1 of the doubleheader) from the warning track on a line. He’s a freak.”
Said Girardi: He has to do everything right to make that play. And he did everything right, which is why he was able to Gmake it.” irardi has called Judge a “complete player.” He showed why in the sixth.
“His defense is very good and I think with as big as he is we all talk about the power, but we forget about the little things that he does really well,” Girardi said. “And defense is not a little thing, but getting a jump on a ball, that’s a big thing. And sometimes it’s underestimating how important that is. He has the ability to throw. He just does a lot of things right.”